Letters: Demythologizing overpopulation statistics

Share this:

Indians throng a street in Kolkata, India, Monday, Oct. 31, 2011. According to the U.N. Population Fund, there will be symbolic “seven billionth” baby Earth’s land and resources on Oct. 31. Already the second most populous country with 1.2 billion people, India is expected to overtake China around 2030 when its population soars to an estimated 1.6 billion. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

The world does not have an overpopulation problem. Every person on the planet (seven billion) could fit into the state of Texas.

Enough food is produced for every person in the world to have more than 3,000 calories per day. New sources of fossil fuels continue to be discovered (quite a bit right here in the good ol’ United States) and forest deforestation is being mitigated by sustainable replanting programs. The problems Cool refers to are related to distribution of resources, not a lack of them. So, Mr. Cool, the sky is not falling due to overpopulation. In fact, the opposite could be true.

For any society to sustain itself, women of child-bearing age must have an average of 2.1 children. At this birth rate, population within a given society remains flat. Because of the “success” of population-control efforts and mass quantities of overpopulation punch, more than a few developed countries now have birth rates well below 2.1.

One of the reasons for austerity measures in Greece, Spain and Italy is because there are not enough younger people alive to support (pay taxes) for the older people. While I am not in favor of illegal immigration, were it not for legal immigration in the United States we would have a birth rate below 2.1. Immigrants come to this country and procreate, making the next generation of innovators, job creators and taxpayers. These are the people who feed the system that will support Mr. Cool, and the rest of us.

People are our greatest resource. Among the 7 billion of us is the next Steve Jobs, Alexander Fleming or Mother Teresa.

The world needs more people, not less.

A wild Campaign season

LAKE FOREST, Jerry Miller: Labor Secretary Hilda Solis recently referred to members of the Tea Party as “teabaggers.” This is a pejorative term depicting a certain sex act that has been used regularly by the Left to deride those Americans who believe in limited government. That a sitting Cabinet member would use such a derogatory term in a public forum is a disgrace, but indicative of the disdain that this administration has for the people it was elected to serve. I believe Solis knew exactly what she was saying.

Unfortunately, this is what we have to look forward to in the 2012 campaign. We cannot afford another four years of no hope and no change. Get involved. We must ensure that this administration is voted out of office. The way to change things is at the ballot box, which will come as a surprise to the Occupy Wall Street crowd.

What an unbelievable waste of money. If this is the best that they can do, our president needs to find better upper management in that department.

Raise taxes to help U.S.

SAN CLEMENTE, Richard Green: I am sick and tired of listening to the GOP leadership asking, “Where are the jobs?” when they won’t even let a jobs bill come to a vote. It’s getting real old listening to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell say, “We shouldn’t raise taxes on 300,000 small businesses so that the government can bail out the states (meaning teachers, police and firefighters),” when the jobs bill will actually lower taxes on small business and only raise taxes 0.5 percent on earned income in excess of 1 million dollars. Thousands more people across this country will lose their jobs because GOP leaders will not allow a 0.5 percent tax increase on their millionaire constituents (that would include themselves, by the way).

Raise my taxes the 0.5 percent. I’m willing to help. I care more about my country than I do about you do-nothings defeating Obama. I wouldn’t vote for any of you anyway, so raise my taxes to help our country.

Weight on taxpayer backs

WESTMINSTER, George A. Kuck: Jonathan Lansner has to be kidding us in his column “Renters deserve a tax break” [Business, Nov 4]. Fifty percent of the population does not pay taxes. Does he think that renters are in the upper 50 percent that pay taxes? What he suggests is that we have another transfer of funds from taxpayers to tax consumers.

How does he propose to take care of that inequity?

And baby makes 12?

LAKE FOREST, Tobie Balma: I absolutely saw red when reading the quote from Grecia Flores, the mother pictured with the seven billionth baby on the Front Page of your Nov. 1 issue: “It’s too painful, but if it wasn’t, I’d like to have 12.”

Who, may I ask, would be responsible for the finances to see to their upbringing? Medical/dental, groceries, school lunches, school clothes, education, etc.? Would John Q. Taxpayer be left to pick up the tab if having 12 children were possible for her?

If she has a seven-year-old son and she is only 22, what on Earth happened to what should have been her childhood if she was pregnant at 14 or 15 years old? I am hoping the younger generation of girls in her family will learn there is more to their life and future than just producing babies.

The Iraq occupation

IRVINE, John Genovese: Where is Charles Krauthammer coming from [“Obama lost Iraq,” Nov. 4]? He must be living in a fantasy world. He assumes we won the war in Iraq. He should go have his head examined.

Iraq was not a war. It was a senseless occupation that cost us dearly in lives that were shattered and hundreds of billions added to our deficit.

Defeat the bottom feeders

SAN CLEMENTE, Barbara McCarthy: Yes, the press will demonize you, the unions will demonize you, the incumbents will demonize you and the lobbying organizations will demonize you. However, if you are the person considering entering a 2012 election primary, then this is an open call to do so now.

If you are the person who still has principles and ethics and truly wants to represent your district’s citizens, then run in a 2012 primary. Your running is the only way to defeat the bottom feeders in office now.

This policy has not worked and will not work, as evidenced by the record level of poor.

Will unions walk the talk?

IRVINE, Mike Padore: As more labor unions feel the need to support Occupy Wall Street protesters, it follows that we’ll see many union pension funds divesting themselves of billions invested in big banks and investment firms (the one percent). This is the correct thing to do – right?

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor: E-mail to letters@ocregister.com. Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published). Letters of about 200 words or videos of 30-seconds each will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.